Adult Clinical Psychology service

The Adult Clinical Psychology service is a secondary mental health care service, that works alongside steps2change and the Community Mental Health Teams. In the main referrals are taken from teams within the Trust. Service users are referred because of the complex and enduring nature of their mental health difficulties.

The service provides county-wide psychological assessments and interventions at a range of different locations. The team comprises of clinical psychologists, a cognitive behaviour specialist and a cognitive analytical therapist. Their aim is to provide evidence-based interventions to service users who will benefit from them. Therapeutic approaches offered include extended cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR).

The service is as inclusive as possible, and service users have a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety disorders, severe and enduring depression, and trauma which can result in deeply held, dysfunctional beliefs about themselves, the world and other people, which have severely impacted upon their daily lives. Such beliefs develop as a reaction to adverse life events, are pervasive in nature and lead to significant emotional distress.

Unfortunately the service is not able to provide a service for people whose difficulties are due to an organic or developmental disorder, or from pain. We are also not commissioned to provide a service to people whose difficulties stem from sexual dysfunction.

Referrals

The majority of referrals are made from within the Trust via clinical discussions, which if deemed appropriate will lead to an assessment of the individual’s needs.